Pneumatic valve spring compressors



June 12, 1962 I J. T. CLARK 3,038,247

PNEUMATIC VALVE SPRING COMPRESSORS Filed April 18, 1960 INVENTOR.

BY (AZ mes [Cl ark 3,538,247 Fatented June 12, 1962 3,038,247 PNEUMATIC VALVE SPRING COMPRESSORS James T. Clark, Fort Morgan, Colo, assignor to Clark- Feather Manufacturing Co., Fort Morgan, Colo, a corporation of Colorado Filed Apr. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 22,924 2 Claims. (Cl. 29-215) This invention relates to a tool for compressing the springs on the tappet valves of internal combustion engines to allow access to the valve stem spring-retaining keys for removal and replacement of the valves.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a highly etficient readily used tool which can be quickly and easily applied to the valves of a conventional internal combustion automotive engine for rapid removal and replacement of the valves.

The usual valve spring compressing tool of this type requires that the tool be held in place by one hand while a lever of some nature is operated with the other hand to compress the spring, thus, making it difficult to remove the valve and the keys while simultaneously operating the tool. This becomes especially troublesome in the case of corroded or stuck keys.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tool of this character which can be positioned and operated by one hand so as to leave the other hand free for the removal and replacement of the spring keys.

A further object of the invention is to reduce the manual labor usually required by providing a valve spring compressing tool of a type which can be quickly and easily adjusted for use on any type of valve or engine and which can be be connected to a compressed air hose and operated from the compressed air through the medium of a simple valve button.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efiiciency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and through out the description.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the improved pneumatic valve spring compressing tool;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is a horizontal section looking downwardly on the line 33, FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary enlarged vertical section through the pneumatic mechanism of the improved valve spring compressor, taken on the line 44, FIG. 2; and

FIG. 5 is a cross section through the pneumatic mecha nish taken on the line 5-5, FIG. 4.

The improved pneumatic valve spring compressing tool employs two similar, curvated, spaced-apart frame bars and 11 having horizontal, forwardly-extending upper extremities 12 and horizontal, forwardly-extending lower extremities 13 of reduced width. The frame bars 10 and 11 are maintained in rigid, spaced relation by means of suitable rivets 14 and spacing sleeves 15. A spring seat arm 16 is mounted on the lower extremity of the frame bar 10 and a similar, but opposite hand, spring seat arm 17 is mounted on the lower extremities of the frame bar 11 by means of suitable attachment screws 18. The spring seat members extend forwardly from the frame bars in spaced relation to provide two arcuate spring washer seats 19 for receiving the spring seat washer of a conventional valve. The spacing of the seats 19 can be adjusted by means of an adjusting clamp screw 20 to accommodate various sizes of springs and spring seat washers as is customary in valve spring compressing tools.

The horizontal, forwardly-extending upper extremities 12 of the frame bars 10 and 11 are welded or otherwise permanently attached to an axially-vertical pneumatic cylinder 21, the axis of which is in vertical alignment with the axis of the spring washer seats 19. The pneumatic cylinder is provided with a relatively thick cylinder head 22 and with an open bottom. A hollow, cup-shaped piston 23 is snugly and slidably mounted in the cylinder 21 and projects downwardly through and from the open bottom thereof.

The piston 23 is provided with a relatively thick bottom portion 24 having a vertical, axial, internally-threaded jack screw passage 25, through which, a vertical jack screw 26 is threaded. The jack screw 26 projects downwardly from the piston 23 and terminates in a circular, conical foot member 27 swivelly mounted therein. The jack screw 26 also extends upwardly from the piston through the cylinder head 22 to receive a removable handle rod 28 arranged to be extended through the upper extremity of the jack screw for rotating the latter.

A tubular stem member 29 extends upwardly through the cylinder head 22 of the cylinder 21 and projects downwardly into the hollow interior of the piston 23 terminating at its lower extremity in a foot flange 30 which normally rests against the bottom portion 24 of the piston 23. A compression spring 31 surrounds the stern member 29 within the piston. The spring 31 is compressed between a circular piston head plate 32 and the stem flange 30. The piston head plate is fixedly mounted in the top of the hollow piston 23 in any desired manner, such as by rolling the upper edge of the piston inwardly over the plate, as shown at 33.

It can be seen that the reaction of the compression spring 31 constantly urges the piston 23 upwardly to maintain the piston bottom portion 24 resiliently against the foot flange 30, as shown in FIG. 4. An annular, resilient, piston-sealing washer 34 is mounted on the piston head plate 32. The sealing washer has a channeled cross section so as to maintain an inner annular upturned portion 35 in frictional sealing engagement with the tubular stem member 29 and an outer annular upturned portion 36 which maintains frictional sealing engagement with the inner wall of the cylinder 21.

A compressed air pipe 37 communicates with an air passage 38 in the cylinder head 22 of the cylinder 21 to admit air to, and discharge air from, the upper portion of the cylinder above the piston sealing washer 34. The flow of air through the air pipe 37 is controlled by means of a conventional push-operated supply valve 39, having an operating push button 41, from which a suitable hose nipple 40 projects for the reception of any available compressed air supply hose. A conventional push-operated bleed valve 42, having an operating push button 43, is interposed between the supply valve 39 and the air pipe 37. Thumb pressure on the button 41 admits air under pressure through the pipe 37 to the cylinder 21 to force the piston 23 and the jack screw 26 downwardly therein against the bias of the spring 31. Thumb pressure on the button 43 allows the air to discharge from the pipe 37 to the atmosphere so that the spring 31 can raise the piston 23 and the jack screw 26 to their normal position.

In use, the foot member 27 is positioned over a valve and the arcuate washer seats 19 of the seat arms 16 and 17 are slipped about the lower extremity of the stern of the valve below a spring retaining washer thereon. The jack screw 26 is now adjusted to bring the foot member 27 into engagement with the valve to support the tool in place. The operator grips the frame bars 10 and 11 with the fingers of one hand with his thumb over the buttons 41 and 43 and, to compress the spring, he simply depresses the push button 41 to admit air under pressure to the cylinder 21. Since the piston 23 and the jack screw 26 cannot move downwardly, they being supported by the 3 valve, the air forces the cylinder 21 and the frame bars 10 and 11 upwardly to cause the arcuate seats 19 to compress the valve spring upwardly on the valve stem to allow free access to the spring retaining keys on the stem.

It will be noted that when the spring has been compressed and the button 41 is released, both hands of the operator are free for removing the valve spring retaining keys from the stem. After the keys have been removed, the bleed valve button 43 is depressed to allow the air to discharge from the cylinder 21 so that the entire tool, with the exception of the jack screw and the piston, will move downwardly so that the tool can be removed from the valve and the latter removed from the engine.

The adjustment of the jack screw is only necessary for adjusting the tool to different types of engines and different lengths of valve stems and springs. Once the adjustment has been made, the jack screw need not be again adjusted as long as the tool is used on the same type of valve or engine.

While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it is to be understood that the same may be varied within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A jack screw actuating device comprising: an inverted, cup-shaped cylinder having an open bottom and a closed top; a hollow cup-shaped piston having a closed bottom slidably fitted in said cylinder and projecting downwardly through the open bottom of said cylinder; a tubular stem member mounted in the top of said cylinder and extending axially downward therein and terminating within said piston; a foot flange formed on the lower extremity of said stem, said flange normally resting against the inside of the closed bottom of the piston; a head plate mounted on and closing the top of said piston; a spring positioned within said piston, said spring being compressed between said head plate and said foot flange; a jack screw extending through said stem member, said piston bottom having an axial threaded bore therein, said jack screw being threaded through said bore in the bottom of said piston so that vertical movements of said piston will be communicated to said jack screw; and means for admitting fluid under pressure to said cylinder above said piston to urge the latter downwardly.

2. A compressing tool comprising: an inverted, cupshaped cylinder having an open bottom and a closed top; a hollow cup-shaped piston having a closed bottom slidably fitted in said cylinder and projecting downwardly through the open bottom of said cylinder; a tubular stem member mounted in the top of said cylinder and extending axially downward therein and terminating within said piston; a foot flange formed on the lower extremity of said stem and normally resting against the inside of the closed bottom of the piston; a head plate mounted on and closing the top of said piston; a spring positioned within said piston, said spring being compressed between said head plate and said foot flange; and a jack screw extending through said stem member, said piston bottom having an axial threaded bore therein, said jack screw being threaded through said bore in the bottom of said piston so that vertical movements of said piston will be communicated to said jack screw.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 942,173 Heller Dec. 7, 1909 2,430,100 Brumder et al. Nov. 4, 1947 2,507,628 Gaines May 16, 1950 2,866,370 Biach Dec. 30, 1958 

